Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Joshua Nicholas Dewalt

Minku Lee

Fazal Urrahman Syed

Justin Panhans

Andrew Eugene Burt

Rajit Johri

Dennis C Reed

Peter Douglas Kuechler

Mary Catherine Farmer

Terry Gene Feldpausch

Mark Steven Yamazaki

Dimitar Petrov Filev

Scott James Thompson

Sassan Farahmand

Alec Bolthouse

Douglas Michael Smith

Methods and a system are provided for shaping a torque profile for a motor of a hybrid vehicle. In one example, the method includes during a vehicle launch, an off condition of an engine, and upon receiving an engine start request, predicting a time of engine engagement, predicting a driver requested torque at the engine engagement; and reducing the driver requested torque until the predicted time of engine engagement based on the predicted driver requested torque at the engine engagement. The predicting of at least one of the time of engine engagement and the driver requested torque at the engine engagement may be based on a current position of an accelerator pedal and a driver profile. The method may further include controlling motor torque profile based on the reduced driver request torque.

Method for shaping motor torque profile during a launch engine start

Systems and methods for operating a vehicle that includes an engine and an electric machine are described. In one example, torque requests are aligned in time to compensate for a delay that may be caused by broadcasting one or more torque commands over a controller area network or another type of communication link. The torque requests may be aligned via delaying an engine torque request and predicting an electric machine torque.

Methods and system for adjusting responses of an electric machine and an engine

A system and method for controlling a hybrid vehicle having an engine and a traction motor include operating the engine at an operating point selected based on system efficiency, operating the electric machine to provide an electric machine torque responsive to a difference between a driver demand torque and the engine torque associated with the operating point, and limiting a rate of change of the electric machine torque in response to a rate of change of the driver demand torque. The electric machine torque rate limit may vary continuously responsive to the rate of change of driver demand torque and whether the driver demand torque is increasing or decreasing.

Hybrid vehicle control with rate-limited energy management torque

Systems and methods for operating a hybrid powertrain or driveline that includes an engine and an integrated starter/generator are described. In one example, rotation of an automatically stopped engine may be inhibited when engine braking is requested so that the engine may not be rotated without providing a desired outcome.

Methods and system for engine braking

A system and method for controlling backlash in a vehicle powertrain includes the step of controlling a torque request of the powertrain with a first control strategy after an occurrence of a backlash predictor and prior to an occurrence of backlash. The first control strategy is modified when backlash occurs during the first control strategy. The torque request is controlled with the modified first control strategy after another occurrence of a backlash predictor and before another occurrence of backlash.

Adaptive control of backlash in a vehicle powertrain

A system and method for controlling backlash in a vehicle powertrain includes the step of controlling a torque request of the powertrain with a first control strategy after an occurrence of a backlash predictor and before an occurrence of a backlash. Another step may be employed whereby the torque request is controlled with a second control strategy after the first control strategy and before the occurrence of the backlash such that a torque request level is below a highest torque request level obtained during the first control-strategy.

System and method for controlling backlash in a vehicle powertrain

A system and method for controlling a vehicle powertrain including an engine and a motor operable to propel the vehicle includes reducing a torque of the motor at a first torque reduction rate from a torque level above a minimum motor torque in response to a deceleration request. A torque of the engine is reduced at a second torque reduction rate less than the first torque reduction rate in response to the deceleration request.

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Joshua Nicholas Dewalt